The Road to Castelia City

The Road to Castelia City

Now that you have beaten Roxie and healed up it is time to head to the north side of town and visit the Pokestar Studio where we get a formal tour and learn how to make a Pokemon Movie!  When you emerge on the other side of the gate you meet Mr. Stu Deeoh, and the Producer you saw earlier who invited you to pay this visit. 

As you follow him around on the tour you are shown the lot and the theatre, where you meet up with the Captain and he insists that you watch his movie.  So you do...  And the Captain gets a revelation just in time to put him back to work – as a Captain!

Your next stop is the film studio itself, where the movies are made – you are invited to make a movie (actually they sort of insist!), so you will want to view the instruction bits before you do that, and those can be found first by talking to the bloke in the green costume on the left, who will tell you about Scripts, Pokemon, Acting, Lines, and Popularity.  Note that to make the first version of a movie you have to use rental Pokemon – you can use your own later once you have the script down... 

There is a PC here if you need to swap party Pokemon around later to make a movie with your own Pokemon, and when you talk to the Producer at the entrance he will help you rent your Pokemon for the movie.  It seems that they use the greenscreen tech extensively here so just have fun with it, and assuming you did well (if you won you did well) why not release the movie to theatres?

Why not head back to the Theatre and watch the movie you just made?  Surely you did better than the Captain did, right?  I don't know about you but I got applause from the audience, and on the way out Stu Deeoh let me know I am the bomb!  Well, enough of that silliness for now, it is time to get back to our adventure!

– Back on the Adventure Trail –

With our tour of Pokestar Studios now complete it is time to head back to town.  Go ahead and make a quick stop at the Pokemon Center, heal up, shop, and collect your medal from the Medal Man, and then head for the docks and the next phase of our adventure, which in this case is a confrontation with Team Plasma at the docks!

When we arrive we find Roxie facing off against a bunch of Team Plasma Grunts – Hugh is with her and when we arrive that evens the odds up by making it a three vs three confrontation!  The battle ensues and you kick their butts of course, as after all you are just facing a Level 14 Patrat...  The grunt pays off $560 for the lesson you just taught them, and then Roxie gifts you your first HM, HM01 Cut, and asks you to check Route 20 to see if they went that way!

– Checking Route 20 –

When you get out on Route 20 you run into Hugh and he asks you to help check the entire Route, so do that and you will run into the Team Plasma Grunt to the south, and battle them again.  This time it is a Level 14 Purrloin you have to fight, but you gain another $560 for your effort so it is not a total loss!  The Grunt heads back to Virbank City and Hugh finds you, telling you that you should head to the docks and find a ride in a boat to continue the chase.

You could do that, sure, but since we are so close to home now, and since once we take that boat we will not be close to home, why not pop in and say hello and goodbye to Mom?  She is happy to see you and lets you rest, so hey, this dropping in had positive results!  Now on the way out of town stop by the Pokemon Center and collect a new medal from Medal Man – a Medal for stopping at home to say hi to Mom!  Sweet!

Head back to Virbank and, if you have not already done so, teach Cut to one of your Pokemon so that you can cut down the tree on the west side of the first area in the Complex and you can grab a Super Potion from the Treasure Ball just south of the tree.

The special battle animation and sparkle effect of a Shiny Pokemon

– Back at the Docks –

When you arrive you find Roxie and her dad talking outside – when they are done you follow her dad inside and chat with Hugh to trigger the Ferry CS and voila!  A short time later you are in Castelia City!  And how cool is that?!  Cool, that is how cool!

So now that you are here in the big city this would be a great time to look around and explore the city!  As you do that a good place to start is the docks we are standing on...  Head all the way south and grab the Heart Scale from the Treasure Ball on the bottom right of the docks, and then chat with the trainers here. If you chat with the Captain you will discover that he is happy to take you back to Virbank City (so now you know you can go back any time you like). 

As you leave the docks a Harlequinb gifts you with a bike – nice one! – then fills you in on the Harlequin Hunt Game, adding that the places you want to look are The Medal Office, Passerby Analytic HQ, and the Battle Company.  Basically you need to seek out and speak to the Harlequins you find in those locations...

Battle Company is the brown building on the left side of the street at the corner, so why not head in and check it out?  When you enter the lobby an executive stops you to explain that the people who work there have Pokemon Battles, then he gifts you with an incredibly useful hold item called Experience Share – if you have one of your Pokemon hold that, they will get half of the regular XP from any battle your other Pokemon have!

The girl on the bottom right of the lobby will ask you what starter you chose, and after you tell her, give you a special hold item specifically for that type, so be sure to chat her up.

The Harlequin is in the lobby on the right so go talk to it, then if you like talk to the other trainers and then use the lift to find some battles!  This is a great chance to pick up some extra XP, and considering that you need to get your team to Level 28 for the next Gym Battle, any free XP is good XP!

You have two floors to choose from, so start on the first and have yourself a battle with Clerk Clemens, who has a Level 16 Growlithe, and he pays out $640 for the lesson of battling you.  He also gifts you with some Quick Balls as well.

Clerk Gilligan has a Level 17 Pidove, paying $1360 for the pleasure of losing to you.  Clerk Warren has a Level 16 Marill, paying $640, and the gift of some Timer Balls.  The bloke in the lab coat on the bottom right will give you an item called a Scope Lens, which is a hold item that allows the Pokemon holding it the chance to make a critical hit.  Clerk Britney has a Level 16 Budew, handing over $640 for the battle lesson.

To the left of where you battle is a Treasure Ball with a Guard Spec in it, and that wraps up the action for floor 47F, so take the lift to the other floor, 55F, and get off!

You find an Ether in a Treasure Ball on the left after you exit the lift, and then you battle School Kid Neil who has a Level 17 Eevee and a Level 17 Herdier, and after you beat him pays out $340 and the satisfaction of having cleared the building of trainers to battle!  Hit the lift and head back to the lobby then head right along the main road to the Pokemon Center to heal up!

– Castelia Pokemon Center –

After you heal your team, speak with Mr. Medal to pick up your next batch of Medals and then chat up the trainers here to learn about Geonet, and talk to the trainer upstairs to learn that Professor Fennel has moved to the city and that he studies Pokemon Trainers.

– Exploring Continues –

Head all the way to the left and down on the docks there, and chat with the first trainer you encounter to obtain the Destiny Knot, and when you talk to the Captain of the ship here you learn it is the Ferry for the Unity Tower...  Head back up to the street and to the left, and the first building with a sign at the far left corner is Passerby Analytics HQ – so head inside and talk to the Harlequin there, and the trainers who are also present to get a free Pokeball, get appointed a Statistician by the lab-coat guy, which allows you to accept Surveys for the Survey Radar.  A girl on the left asks you to take some surveys for her, and she rewards you with a Soda Pop for taking her surveys. 

The docks all the way to the left on the main street have the Ferry to the Liberty Garden, and some trainers on the dock tell you that in the past a famous trainer hid a Legendary Pokemon called Victini at Victory Garden!

Heading all the way back to the Pokemon Center, head up the road that runs beside it (Castelia Street) and enter the first building on the right, which is the Game Freak HQ!  Head up the lift to the 22F floor and grab the Revive from the Treasure Ball in the back, then have a battle with Game Freak Nishino and his Level 16 Clefairy, taking $1280 from him for the battle.  Game Freak Morimoto has a Level 14 Pansagea Level 14 Pansear, and a Level 14 Panpour, gaining you $1120 as your reward. 

With that mischief managed, head back down the lift and head outside.  Across the street on the left is a vending machine that dispenses drinks, which includes Fresh Water, Soda Pop, and Lemonade – you may want to buy a few of those...  The building just past it on the left has a lift that will take you to the 11th floor, where a girl will gift you TM44 Rest, which is worth the trip up the lift!

The Hidden Grove in the Sewers contains Eevee!

– The Main Square –

Head to the end of the street then left to Mode Street, and head south down it to visit the Castelia City Casteliacone Stand, where you can buy one or 12 of the snacks.  Across the street is Studio Castelia, inside of which are paintings by the local Gym Leader.  You can talk to a trainer here and show him the Pokemon type he asks to see and get to pick a berry. 

Head south and on to the main road, then left to Narrow Street and north up it, and a man in black steps out of the alley and gifts you TM70 Flash!  Well worth the trip down the alley!  Cafe Sonata is across the alley, and if you head inside and talk to the bartender to get a free Moomoo Milk! 

Head all the way north to the end of the street to the Square, then left and south down the next street, and into the first building on the left you can enter, in the lobby of which you will find the Name Rater, the Feeling Reader, and the Pokemon Masseuse.  The lift will take you either to 2F or 3F – on 2F you find the Medal Office, and the final Harlequin!  Go you!

You can have your Medal Collection evaluated here as well as learn more about the Medal contest, and on the 3rd floor you meet Amanita, the woman who perfected the Pokemon Storage System in Unova!  She will tell you about the storage system, and you can learn about Game Sync and Pokemon Dreams from the second woman here.  The third woman is Professor Fennel who you should chat up.

– The Pokemon Gym –

The building to the south and on the right is the Pokemon Gym, but it seems that the Gym Leader Burgh is absent.  When you talk to the bloke outside the door named Clyde you are interrupted by Iris, who then takes off for the area by the Pokemon Center – so you should give chase!  On your way talk to the Harlequin who gave you the contest to collect your prize – a Rare Candy – and then catch up to Iris, then follow her out onto Thumb Pier, where she shows you the Sewer Entrance.

Hugh appears now and heads into the Sewers!  You have to follow after him, right? 

– Castelia Sewers –

Bear in mind that this is a special area where the entire area acts like tall grass and you can encounter wild Pokemon.  You will find Level 14 to 17 Grimer, Rattata, Zubat,

Bear in mind that if you want to capture a Pokemon you encounter in doubles battle you have to take down one of the pair first, as you cannot aim the ball until there is only one left.

You will encounter Trainers here, including Janitor Felix who has a Level 17 Lillipup and a Level 16 Trubbish, and pays you $640.  Worker Scott has a Level 17 Timburr, who pays you $680.  Nearby Scott is a Treasure Ball with a Pearl in it. 

When you reach the area where the Team Plasma Grunts are, you find a Treasure Ball with the held item TwistedSpoon in it.  Team Plasma Grunts have Level 16 Scraggy and Sandile, and give you $1280 for the battle lesson you give them!  After the battle Gym Leader Burgh appears and tells you that there is no reason to go any deeper and you should leave.  Hugh then gifts you HM04 Strength – nice one!  Hugh then leaves, and you then see some mysterious character emerge from the blown-open wall, compliment you, and leave!

Burgh leaves at this point, telling you that you have a choice to make – stay here and train your team or follow him?  That is the choice you need to make – so assuming that you have been nicely leveling up you should check your team to see where it stands.  If it is not at Level 28 yet, then stay and train them up to Level 28, capturing any Pokemon types here that you have yet to capture, and then head to the Gym!

– Relic Passage –

Before you do anything else, head through the blown-open wall into the Relic Passage where you can capture a Level 16 to 18 Drilbur, Rattata, Roggenrola, Woobat, and Timburr.

Inside you will find a Treasure Ball with an Escape Rope, and have a battle with Scientist Terrance and his Level 18 Grimer.  Beating him earns you $864.  Backpacker Kendall has a Level 18 Herdier and pays you $432.  Scientist Lumina has a Level 17 Venipede and a Level 17 Koffing, and pays you $816.  At the far end of the passage beyond Lumina is a Treasure Ball with a Hard Stone in it.

Keep an eye out for dusty spots as you can walk into them to obtain colored shards...

– Back in the Sewers –

Following the path west and up the stairs brings us to a special grove with a Tree in the center, a Treasure Ball with a Miracle Seed inside, and a mix of light and dark grass, containing Level 16 to18 Buneary, Cottonee, Eevee, Pidove, Rattata, an in shaking grass Audino.

Basically it is a good idea to remain down in the Sewers and collect one of each of the available Pokemon, and then level your team to Level 28 before emerging and heading first to the Center to heal up and re-supply, and then to the Gym for your next Gym Battle and Badge!

The Third Gym Leader Battle to obtain the Insect Badge

– The Castelia City Gym –

The Gym here is actually pretty slick and fancy inside, but then it is a Pokemon Gym in a major city, right?  Just inside is the Greeter who, when you chat him up, hands you the traditional Fresh Water, which is nice of him!  You can examine the statue thingies to learn that we beat Hugh to the certification battle, which is cool.  The Greeter told you that this is a Cocoon Gym - draw your own conclusions from that.

The first step as always is to battle with the Assistant Gym Leaders, so head forward and use the black door thing to get sucked to the upper floor and battle Harlequin Clarence, who has a pair of Level 20 Sewaddle, and pays you $640 for the lesson.

Head up to the next level and walk by the unopened cocoon to break it open to revel Harlequin Jack, who has a Level 20 Combee and a Level 20 Swadloon, and pays you $640.

Head through the new opening in this Cocoon to reach Harlequin Gary, who has a Level 19 Sewaddle, a Level 19 Combee, and a Level 19 Dwebble, and pays $608.

Take the door on the side (not the front) to go to the next platform and battle Harlequin Anders, who has a Level 20 Dwebble, and a Level 20 Swadloon, and pays you $640.

That is the last Assistant Gym Leader, so head up the next level and you will find Burgh waiting for you among a collection of pots of paint that I guess they use for their art?  Talk to Burgh to hear that they think you did a good job back in the sewers – and after a rather lengthy chat, you face their first Pokemon, a Level 22 Swadloon, and then a Level 22 Dwebble, followed by a Level 24 Leavanny, earning you $2880, the third Gym Badge – the Insect Badge -- and TM76 Struggle Bug.  With this Gym Badge Pokemon up to Level 40, including those acquired in trade, will obey your commands!

Taking the hole on the left side of the floor takes you directly down to the exit level, and now would be a great time to head back to the Pokemon Center to get your team healed up!

– Exploring the rest of the City –

Assuming that you have obtained one of each type of Pokemon from the Sewers and the two areas that connect off of the Sewers (the Grove and the Relic Passage) now is a good time to finish exploring the northern end of the city - but if you have NOT obtained one of each of those Pokemon, now is the time to head back into the Sewers and do that!

Assuming you have done that, head north up one of the roads to the Square now and through the Square to the north exit by the vending machines, where you run into that mysterious character we first encountered in the Sewers!  They ask to take a look at your Pokemon – no harm in doing that, and it might earn you a few compliments from them.  The stranger introduces themselves as Colress, and says that they are a Scientist doing research to “Bring out the Power of Pokemon.”

They then ask you to battle with them to test their theory – heck yeah!  We never turn down a battle!  After you say yes they tell you that they will be waiting for you on Route 4, so follow them up the north road but do not enter the gate to exit the town just yet!

On your left is the entrance to a building in which you will obtain an Amulet Coin from a trainer in the lobby, and on the 11th floor you can talk to three trainers.  Across the street through that door you find a man in black who insists on searching you before you can enter the lift to the 47th floor, where a party is going on.  A trainer gifts you with TM45 Attract, and you chat with a Spanish, German, and Italian trainer, which illustrates that Pokemon is a world-wide phenom!

Head back to the lobby and outside then into the next door on the right and you will find a bloke in a lab coat who, after examining your Pokedex gifts you with an Eviolite – a hold item that when it is held by Pokemon who have a remaining evolutionary form get a boost to their Special Defense and Offense.

The lift will take you to the 47th floor where you will encounter a trainer who will brief you on all of the badges you can earn in the region:

Basic Badge - up to Level 20 Obey.
Toxic Badge - up to Level 30 Obey.
Insect Badge - up to Level 40 Obey.
Bolt Badge - up to Level 50 Obey.
Quake Badge - up to Level 60 Obey.
Jet Badge - up to Level 70 Obey.
Legend Badge - up to Level 80 Obey.
Wave Badge - all Pokemon Obey.

On the floor is a Treasure Ball with a Charcoal in it to grab, and then head back down to the lobby and outside again!  The gate ahead leads to Route 4, and on the left just before the gate is a vending machine if you need some refreshments for your Pokemon...